None.
The present invention relates in general to envelopes, and more specifically, to envelopes having a greeting card combined therewith. In particular, this invention relates to an envelope and a greeting card made from a single envelope blank, wherein the greeting card is separable from the envelope by lines of perforation.
In the greeting card industry, manufacturers must utilize not only the appropriate machinery for producing the cards, but also the appropriate machinery for producing the envelopes in order to affect cost savings. Thus, at a minimum, two expensive pieces of machinery, as well as two separate manufacturing processes, must be employed by the greeting card manufacturers to accomplish the task of manufacturing each greeting card.
In addition, standard bi-fold greeting cards are often displayed by their recipients by standing them up on a level surface. This method is not always satisfactory, as such a bi-fold card lacks adequate stability to withstand even light breezes, which can be caused by simply walking past the displayed card.
It is, therefore, an advantage of the present invention to provide a combination envelope and greeting card, wherein a single blank can be formed, on a single machine and in a single process, into both the mailing envelope and the greeting card.
It is another advantage of the present invention to provide an envelope which includes a greeting card, wherein upon opening the envelope and unfolding the card panels thereof, a greeting card is formed which can be separated from the envelope by lines of perforation.
It is yet another advantage of the present invention to provide a combination envelope and greeting card, which further includes a detachable display strip for displaying the greeting card in a stable manner.
Additional advantages, objects, and novel features of the invention will be set forth in part in the description which follows, and in part will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon examination of the following, or may be learned by practice of the invention.
The present invention comprises a combination envelope and greeting card formed from a single blank.
According to one embodiment of the present invention, a combination envelope and greeting card made from a blank is disclosed and comprises a front panel having opposed side edges and a back panel having opposed side edges, the front and back panels being connected along a line of perforation or a fold line, two side flap receiving panels extending from the back panel at the side edges thereof and connected thereto along a line of perforation, the side flap receiving panels adapted to receive a portion of the back panel when the blank is formed into an envelope, a seal flap structure extending from the front panel opposite the back panel and connected thereto at a fold line, and a detachable card structure, the detachable card structure comprising the back panel, and at least one additional panel extending from the back panel. The front panel can further comprise two side flaps extending from therefrom at the side edges thereof, each side flap connected to the front panel along a fold line. The seal flap structure can include an adhesive strip assembly and a detachable display strip portion.